U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Southeast Region News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Vicki M. Boatwright or
November 30, 1995 Diana M. Hawkins
RECORD NUMBER OF FLEDGLING PUERTO RICAN PARROTS
LEAVE THE NEST IN 1995

Twenty-nine young Puerto Rican parrots took to the skies for the first time this year,
making 1995 the most successful year so far for the Puerto Rican parrot recovery program.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southeast Regional Director, Noreen K.
Clough, these 29 fledglings include 13 chicks that were born in the wild and 16 that were
captive-bred. The recovery project is a collaborative effort of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and
Environmental Resources.

The Puerto Rican parrot is endemic to Puerto Rico and restricted to the Caribbean
National Forest in Luquillo. It was listed as endangered in 1967 and is presently
considered among the 10 most endangered birds in the world. A major effort towards the
recovery of the species was initiated in 1968.

The recovery program's initial efforts were limited to working with the wild parrot
population. In 1972, however, captive breeding efforts were initiated with the creation of
the Service's Luquillo Aviary in the Caribbean National Forest. Since 1972, the project
has included both captive breeding and management of the wild flock in the Luquillo
mountains. In 1993, 10 Puerto Rican parrots were transferred to the Department of Natural
and Environmental Resources' Jos L. Vivaldi Aviary at the R¡o Abajo Forest in
Utuado to start a second captive flock. Biologists believe that having a second captive
breeding site is essential to guarantee the species' survival should the other facility be
affected by disease or any other natural disasters.

Clough said that this year's 16 captive-born chicks were produced by the two captive
flocks in the Luquillo and Jos L. Vivaldi Aviaries. This is the highest number of
captive-born chicks that have ever been produced in the 23-year history of the captive
breeding program, she said. It is important to increase the number of birds produced
through captive breeding in both aviaries, Clough noted, because some of these chicks will
be released or fostered into wild nests to increase the vigor and genetic diversity of the
wild population. Other chicks that are produced in these aviaries will be used to
establish new wild populations in areas historically occupied by Puerto Rican parrots, she
said.

The 13 wild-born chicks are the offspring of five nesting pairs that laid a total of 15
eggs of which 15 hatched and 13 chicks reached the fledgling stage. One of these pairs was
a new breeding pair. Chicks were also fostered from the Luquillo Aviary to wild nests. As
a result, 15 successful fledglings were produced in the wild, which equals the 1993
record.

The 1995 breeding season has demonstrated the ability of these endangered parrots to
continue to recuperate from the devastating losses this species incurred during Hurricane
Hugo in 1989. The continuing successful increases in the production of chicks is due both
to the resilience of the birds themselves, and to the Service's ongoing development of new
techniques for better management of both the captive and wild populations.